No Takeout Tonight Creamy Chesapeake Chicken and Campanelle Pasta (ready in 25 mins)

This recipe is fast and easy.  It'll be done before the pizza guy gets there. 

Creamy Chesapeake Chicken and Campanelle Pasta 

2 box campanelle pasta
1 stick butter
½ bag
frozen cooked chicken strips (these should be a staple in everyone's freezer, or freeze your own precooked chicken if you have time to kill)


Boil water and cook pasta according to package direction.  Melt butter on low and throw in half bag of cooked chicken strips and turn up the heat to med, cooking until heated, then turn back down to low.

In a bowl,  combine:

1 egg, beaten
1 16oz container of sour cream
½ c milk
3/4 c parmesan cheese
4 T dried minced garlic
2 T old bay seasoning
1 T italian seasoning (rosemary, basil, oregano, marjoram blend)
fresh cracked pepper

When chicken is heated through and and temp is turned back to low, pour in sauce over chicken/butter in pan.  Heat through and pour over pasta. Serve with asparagus or your fav green vegetable.


Variation: This is excellent with asparagus spears..chop them and steam them over the pasta and toss them in the finished product.
Feel free to substitute Chesapeake bay seasoning...or whatever you want to call your seafood seasoning.

Creamy Alfredo Smoked Salmon Pasta (super fast and easy)

I make this with spaghetti, linguini, and even raviolis (fresh or store bought fresh is best)
Today I used smoked salmon spinach ravioli
Creamy Alfredo Smoked Salmon Pasta
8 oz pasta
1/2 c butter
16 oz container sour cream
2 T garlic
1 egg slightly beaten
1 c parmesan cheese
2 T of the mafia seasoning mixture...rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram (i make this ahead of time and have it ready, premixed, so half T of each if you don't)
2 chopped tomatoes (about fist size, more or less to your liking)
4-6 oz smoked salmon
salt and pepper
sprig parsley to garnish and eat

While pasta cooks, melt butter on low in a med size saucepan.

In a bowl, beat egg, add sour cream, seasonings (garlic and mafia) and Parmesan cheese. Cook this on low with the melted butter until heated through. (yes, cook it on low)
Add tomatoes and salmon and cook 2 mins until heated through.
Pour over pasta
salt and pepper and add a sprig of parsley to each plate

Balsamic Honey Roast Beef French Dip Sandwiches ~Pressure Cooker Recipe

My kids love these so I created a recipe that I could throw in the pressure cooker and still have the whole day to get other things done. 

Balsamic Honey Roast Beef French Dip Sandwiches (Lazy pressure cooker recipe)
aka French Dipper Sammiches

4 C water
4 T honey
2 T balsamic Vinegar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T soy sauce
4 T minced garlic, fresh or dried
1 T red pepper flakes
sprinkle of fennel seeds (optional, I am a fanatic)
3 lb chuck roast
1 onion sliced thing

Place all in pressure cooker and cook on meat setting for one hour.
Pull apart beef, and serve on a hard roll with some onions and pickles/pickled peppers on top and  the broth it cooked in, for dipping

pickles and or pickled peppers
hard rolls, cut in half for easier handling...

That was easy.

If you decide to make this in a crock pot..you will need to add beef broth and of course cook it much longer...but in the pressure cooker, water turns to broth with the beef under pressure.  No added sodium in the pressure cooker so its healthier to cook it in the pressure cooker.
Definitely invest in one. I have a few good brands of them in my amazon store.

Popsicles..homemade...my favorite recipe

It's gonna be hot. Get some of these in the freezer for the kids, or adults.  Great for an after mowing the lawn treat or for eating while jumping through the sprinkler.

These are simple and so delicious.  Not so healthy but definitely worth treating yourself.

Try to use the same flavor kool aid and jello. You can mix flavors but it could turn into an ugly color so think about that before mixing flavors.

Homemade Popsicle

1 package of Jello (3oz package)
1 envelope of Koolaid (unsweetened)
2 C cold water
1 C sugar
2 C boiling water

Mix together, first using the hot water  then add the cold water and freeze in popsicle trays.
makes 18 freeze pops

Print on dictionary or bible pages and create art

Create your own art using an old dictionary, or bible or even sheet music.


You could attach a page from an old dictionary, sheet music or bible to a sheet of paper, centered and print a picture on it to hang on your wall as art.

There is a restaurant nearby that sells framed pictures just like this for 100s of dollars.

Why not print a wedding picture in black and white on the dictionary page that says Love or Marriage or Forever.

You could also print on a bible page that has your favorite verse, or the marriage ceremony reading that was read at your wedding. Sheet music from your wedding song.

Frame it alone or in an old window with several panes that can hold several from that day.

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

I absolutely love green beans...you can keep your canned veggies tho..they they have to be fresh, or at the very least, frozen...canned are awful, IMHO.

Green beans are easy to grow and its not too late in the season to plant some..get out there and plant some up a boring fence or stake up a net.

   

You can also mix these with other veggies but its string bean season and we are having these with our organic grass fed steaks tonight.

Oven Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Green Beans

quart of green beans
fresh or freeze dried garlic (minced or sliced thinly)
3 T Grapeseed or Coconut oil
4 T parmesan cheese, plus
2 T fresh grated parmesan cheese to garnish
your favorite spices, I like thyme w my greenbeans (whatever you like)
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)
Toss it all together,pour onto baking sheet and bake at 400° for about 8 minutes. Garnish with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. (red pepper flakes on the side if you have someone afraid of heat)

  I like to roast my veggies on a high heat, fast.  Watch them so they don't burn...all ovens are different. I also have to double this recipe as my family will devour these fast. My boys love any veggies roasted.

Easy Refreshing Summer Salad

This is so refreshing at a picnic on a hot day, easy to prepare ahead, healthy, and so delicious.  You can make it as spicy or not spicy as you want.  We like it with 4 jalapenos, seeds and all. You can add almost anything you have on hand from the garden.

Summer Salad

1-2 bags frozen corn (depends how far you wanna make it go)
2 green peppers (chopped)
1 onion chopped
hot peppers (to liking) chopped (we like the seeds and all)
1 can garbanzo or black  beans
1 can kidney beans
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
6 mini english cucumbers sliced and diced

4 diced tomatoes

3 T red wine or balsamic or white vinegar
4 T peanut oil (coconut will harden and I hate olive oil, use what you want)
Seasoning, (rosemary, basil, marjoram, or whatever ya like)
salt and pepper to taste
mix all ingredients together and let set in refrigerator for a few hours.
This is so refreshing, and healthy. You can add anything you want to it from the garden. I never thought corn would taste good cold, but I can’t eat enough of it in the summer! I love it. I just call it summer salad. Matter of fact, I am going to run to the grocery store right now and get some ingredients to make this, until my garden grows.
 I also love it with a fresh fennel bulb diced  up and  thrown in it

A double batch makes about 5 qts.

Fast and Easy Sweet and Tangy Coleslaw

Fast and Easy Sweet and Tangy Coleslaw

You can either use a half a head of cabbage and three carrots shredded or a bag of coleslaw mix from the produce section. 

1 red onion sliced thinly

In a bowl: 

3/4 c mayo

3 T coconut oil (melted)

½ c sugar

1½ T vinegar
4 T half and half, cream or milk

¼ tsp salt

whisk

Mix, add in cabbage, carrot and onion and  3 T poppyseeds and toss.

Refrigerate 2 hours or more.